Give Me This Mountain

We live in a culture that loves the story of slowing down — the “golden years,” putting your feet up, finally taking it easy. Rest is good and biblical. But the Bible also tells another story: one about finishing strong, running all the way through the tape, climbing to the last summit with joy.

At 85 years old, when most people are looking for a comfortable chair, Caleb was looking for a fight. He stared at a mountain crawling with the very giants that had terrified his friends decades earlier and said, ‘I’ll take that one.’ His story in Numbers and Joshua gives us a vivid picture of a faith that doesn’t expire — that only gets stronger.

A Different Spirit

To understand Caleb at 85, we need to meet him at 40 (Numbers 13-14). Israel had just reached the edge of the Promised Land. Twelve spies were sent to scout it out. The report came back:

• Ten spies: “The people are too strong. The cities are too big. And there are giants.”
• Caleb: “Let’s go right now — we can take it.”

What made the difference? The ten saw giants and compared them to themselves. Caleb saw giants and compared them to God.

God Himself described Caleb this way:

“My servant Caleb ... has a different spirit and has followed me fully.” (Num. 14:24)

The Hebrew word for “spirit” (rûaḥ) means “breath.” The ten spies were animated by fear. Caleb was breathing in something else entirely — the Spirit of God.

For me, it’s like a “spiritual gag reflex.” The longer you walk with God, the more certain things just don’t sit right anymore. Gossip, bitterness, fear — they smell rotten when you’re breathing in the promises of God. Caleb couldn’t stomach the fear that filled the camp because he’d tasted the sweetness of God’s faithfulness.

The Long Wait

Caleb didn’t step into the Promised Land right away. Because of the people’s unbelief, Israel wandered in the wilderness for forty years. Only Joshua and Caleb made it to the other side.

I imagine year thirty-one — no battle, no new revelation, just another morning of manna. Caleb’s faith wasn’t a quick spark — it was a slow, steady burn. He kept showing up, step after sandy step, sandals still miraculously intact.

Caleb’s faith didn’t fade — it deepened.

“Trials produce steadfastness ... that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” (James 1:4)

I’ve had my own “long wait” seasons. When my dad passed away from cancer, I stepped into responsibilities I never expected to face so soon. It felt like wandering a desert with no clear end in sight, trying to navigate grief while leading a family in a way I’d never done before. Looking back now, I can see God’s provision in small, surprising ways — ways I only recognize in hindsight.

That’s how wilderness seasons work. They don’t just test your faith — they forge it.

What do you do when:

• The promise is delayed?
• You’ve done the right thing, but still wander?
• The wilderness stretches on?

Give Me This Mountain

Fast forward to Joshua 14. Caleb is now 85, and the main battles are won. He comes to Joshua and says:

“I am still as strong today as I was ... for war and for going and coming. So now give me this hill country ... where the Anakim are.” (Josh. 14:11-12)

The word “hill country” in Hebrew can also mean “mountain” — and this was no gentle slope. Hebron was home to fortified cities and the same legendary giants he saw decades earlier. But it was also the place where Abraham had bought his first piece of the Promised Land. Caleb wanted to finish what God started.

• He doesn’t ask for easy ground — he asks for the hardest assignment.
• He remembers the giants — but focuses on God’s presence.
• He claims Hebron — the burial place of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob — finishing what Abraham started.

And he did. Joshua 15:14 records it simply:

“And Caleb drove out ... the three sons of Anak.”

At 85 years old, he took the hardest ground because his confidence was still in the same place — in God’s promise.

What’s Your Mountain?

Caleb’s story calls us to keep climbing. Maybe your mountain is:

• Mentoring someone younger in the faith.
• Digging deeper into Scripture instead of coasting on familiar stories.
• Praying daily for a specific person until you see breakthrough.

Your “mountain” might not be giant-infested — but it'll still require courage, persistence, and God’s help.

Walking the Walk

• Finish Strong — Don’t let age, obstacles, or comfort dull your faith.
• Breathe a Different Spirit — See God’s promises more clearly than the world’s fears.
• Ask for the Mountain — Step into challenges that only God can make possible.

The Greater Mountain

As inspiring as Caleb is, he points us to someone greater. Caleb took a physical mountain. Jesus took the ultimate mountain — the mountain of our sin — and conquered it on the cross.

Because of Him, we can face our mountains with confidence:

“I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matt. 28:20)

Keep climbing. Keep breathing in the promises of God. And when you reach the next ridge, don’t be surprised if there’s another summit ahead — because like Caleb, you’re walking with the God who still gives mountains.

Key Passages for the Trail
These verses trace Caleb’s journey from a young spy to a seasoned warrior of faith, showing us what it looks like to trust God’s promises over a lifetime. They call us to see beyond obstacles, hold firm to the end, and walk with the One who never leaves our side.

• Numbers 13-14 — The Israelites face the giants in the land, but Caleb’s faith sees beyond the obstacles.
• Joshua 14:6-15 — At 85, Caleb claims the mountain God promised decades earlier.
• Hebrews 3:12-14 — Hold firmly to faith to the very end.
• 2 Timothy 4:7 — “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”
• Matthew 28:20 — Jesus’ promise to be with us always, to the end of the age.